"Those who choose to go west will no longer have their home in the rear."

"And in front!"

Xi firmly remembers what Li Xin said to himself more than two years ago, standing under the snow-capped green hills.

For Li Xin, home is on the other side of the snow-capped mountains, in the lands and cities that have not yet been explored and conquered, and at the end of the horseshoe!

Li Xin is like an arrow shot hard by Qin Shi Huang in his last life, carrying his last wish. Once he leaves the string and does not reach the end, he will not look back! Even Hu Hai's edict, even death, cannot

Take away Li Xin’s loyalty to the First Emperor!

So a total of 8,000 people headed west. Most of them were young and healthy, good-natured and bad-tempered young men. They followed Li Xin's footsteps and did not hesitate to wonder what they would do when they went to another world.

Joy cannot be known.

But for most people in the expeditionary force, home is still in the east. In the Central Plains, there are the pines and cypresses in the tombs of their ancestors, their wives and children who look out at the lilu gate day after day, the familiar clothes and local accents, and the reassuring grains of food.

soup.

So under the leadership of Xi and others, more than 10,000 expeditionary troops began their journey back east, and returned to Dunhuang, Zhangye County in March of the "40th year of Qin Shihuang", which was the "first year of the Regency" in their own chronology.

When they entered Yumen Pass, their number had been reduced by half. Thousands of them fell dead on the dry Gobi. Others stayed in the oasis country in the desert and gave up hope of returning home...

Because home is too far away, even if Xi and others reach Dunhuang and see the prefectures and buildings of Qin again, they are still half the distance from Guanzhong.

Fortunately, the Dang River flowing through Dunhuang nourished the thirsty Western Expeditionary Army. Mingsha Mountain was nothing compared to the great deserts of the Western Regions.

They regrouped in Dunhuang and began to open up the Hexi Corridor from the west. They defeated the Yuezhi princes who tried to return to this fertile land and defended the new territory of Qin.

This delayed them for a long time, and it was not until the spring of the second year of the Regency that they set off again.

The journey ahead is still long.

The Black Mountain Canyon rises from the Jiuquan rocks.

To the colorful Danxia wonders near Zhangye, the road they walked on their westward journey required the army to re-measure it with their footsteps.

As long as you are still in the Hexi Corridor, on this long road that stretches for thousands of miles, as long as you look up, you can see the endless Qilian Mountains in the southwest, seemingly endless, firmly occupying the skyline.

No wonder it was called "Heaven" by the Yuezhi and the Huns.

Looking at the snow on the Qilian Mountains, Xi also touched his bun.

The thin old official who was sent to the Western Regions many years ago had black hair, but now it is gradually turning frosty.

As they walked eastward, the soldiers did not know how many pairs of shoes were worn out. The Hexi Corridor became narrower and narrower, and it seemed to have reached the end. However, if the Western Expeditionary Army wanted to go home, they had to pass the last hurdle: the always dangerous Wusheath.

ridge.

There are tall snow-capped mountains on both sides that are covered with snow all year round. The cold air often invades Wushaoling, forming a severe cold air belt standing on the east and west walls. Snow falls in spring and the cold air bites the bones. The Western Expeditionary Army helped each other climb and endured the sudden changes in climate.

It took a lot of coldness to overcome this natural danger.

After crossing Wushaoling and Lingju County, at the crossing of Dahe River, Xi met Qiang Hua, the new governor of Zhangye County, and from his mouth, Xi basically learned about the divisions and reunions of the world in recent years.

Qianghua praised Heifu for quelling the chaos and reunifying the world. He was happy but did not comment. The Western Expeditionary Army had a large number of people and it was slow to cross the river and march slowly. However, he got a special permit and could take the fastest post to Xianyang.

.

"Xia Gong is looking forward to seeing Mr. Xi again day and night, and treating him with high titles and important positions." Qiang Hua said.

But Xi was unmoved and flatly refused.

"I am the supervisor."

"I preach military law to the soldiers all day long, how can I leave the army and leave my post without permission?"

If Xi had not tried his best to control it along the way, this Western Expeditionary Army would have fallen apart countless times, or become a bandit due to hunger and cold.

Xi decided to take care of them to the end, from beginning to end, without making any mistakes.

They crossed the river, entered the Great Wall at Linzhao, followed the route taken by Emperor Qin Shi Huang during his return tour to the west, passed through Longban, and arrived at Guanzhong...

At this point, we have arrived home, and the scenery has become different. There are no large tracts of wilderness, and there are more farmland connected by roads. Under the Zhouyuan Qishan Mountains, men farm and women weave. It is a peaceful scene that makes people feel uncomfortable.

Imagine, this was a battlefield two years ago.

Most of the Western Expeditionary Army was left to eat in Yongdi, waiting for orders to be restored and sent back to their place of origin. Xi was also bid farewell to the soldiers who had been with them day and night for three years, and continued to march eastward.

When leaving Yongdi, Xi's carriage carried several newly revised Qin laws. While resting along the way, Xi frowned and looked at them one by one. He wanted to know what gains and losses the laws had made in the past few years.

When night fell, the pavilion chief knew his identity and offered to add lamps and provide fish, meat, etc., but Xi refused.

"After I resigned as the supervisor of the Western Expeditionary Army, I was just a criminal who was demoted to a superior by the First Emperor of Qin. "The Law of Chuanshi" says that as long as I stay in a pavilion, I will not go down to seek people or make rice.

One bucket, half a liter of sauce, one liter of vegetable soup, half a stone of grass to feed the horses, and no lights or candles are allowed at night. Since this law has not changed, don't treat me specially."

After Heifu captured Xianyang, he sent a document to the northwest to restore Xi Zai's status as an official in the court. However, when Xi saw the document in Dunhuang, he did not accept it.

At that time, Xi did not think that the edict was legal and valid. Because of the discrepancy in the information between the two sides, the matter was dropped.

So the stubborn Xi could only read and copy the laws and regulations during the day. When his eyes got dazzled, he would go to the villages and ridges of the fields along the way, say hello to the farmers and vendors, and ask about the government's recent policies.

Just like a magistrate who is about to handle a major case and conduct a trial, he silently remembers everything he sees and hears, and uses them as evidence in court...

On July 20th of the second year of the Regency, Xi, who was covered with dust, was about to arrive at Duting, ten miles west of Xianyang.

But at this moment, his carriage was stopped by someone!

The servant who was driving the carriage did not recognize the person in front of him. When he saw him stretching his arms to stop the carriage, he quickly pulled the reins. The carriage stopped more than ten feet away in front of him. Because this trip was of great importance, he couldn't help being nervous and scolded:

"Who are you? Do you know who is in the car? How dare you stop me?"

"I know."

The voice was as sonorous and powerful as before.

Even though his eyes were closed for joy in the car, he couldn't help but open them. His fingertips holding the book were trembling slightly.

"The person sitting in the car is the world-famous Xijun."

"Xijun has been an official for decades. He has fulfilled his duties and is very familiar with the laws and regulations. He has served hundreds of prison sentences. There is absolutely no unjust, false or wrong case in his hands. Every one of them has achieved justice according to the laws and regulations."

"His Majesty is cold on the face, but in fact he cares about the people. He even dared to question the First Emperor in court. Now that his injustice has been avenged, he has returned from his journey to the west. As a junior fellow countryman, I am here to welcome you."

The bamboo curtain of the carriage slowly opened, and Xi poked his head out. He was already full of gray hair and weathered by the wind and sand outside the Great Wall. The old official squinted and recognized the identity of the visitor.

The person in front of me is no longer the young young man who stopped a car in Anlu Huyang Pavilion and complained about injustice.

He was dressed in regular clothes, with a crown and dark clothes, a thick sagittal beard on his lips, and a sword at his waist. He stood in the middle of the dusty road, folded his hands, and bowed to the emperor.

Only the face, as dark as Guizhou's head, still had a smile.

"Xijun, are you okay?"

…

Xi and Heifu were sitting opposite each other in Du Pavilion.

I vaguely remember that twenty years ago, they first met in an inconspicuous little pavilion in Anlu County.

It's just that the fate of the two people was different. They were both stirred by the wave of this great era and deviated from their original trajectory. It was just that Heifu finally overcame the superior and became a trend-setter, while Xi Ze drifted further and became more like a witness...

…

Witnessed the growth of a little man from a mere head of Guizhou to the true ruler of the empire.

I have also witnessed the ups and downs of an era, its strong ambitions, and its tendency to become dull...

Xi looked to the side. Legend has it that the stone pier where Bai Qi committed suicide was splashing red. It was here that Xi was demoted to the west by the First Emperor. When he was about to embark on the long road to exile, he passed by Duting.

Because Fusu was the first to intercede for Xi and was reprimanded, no one in the civil or military court dared to say goodbye. Only Heihu's wife, Ye, rode a bicycle and presented each other with wine. He also presented a whole family of people to serve as messengers for Xi.

A maid is provided to wash and prepare meals along the way.

For this reason, Xi specially bowed to Mr. Hei:

"Without this pair of servants to take care of me all the way, I might not be able to survive Li Xina. Thank you Madam Regent. When I went to the Western Regions, they stayed in Dunhuang. Now they have two, two and one daughters. If they don't want to return east, I'm afraid I won't be able to save them."

Returned to the regent’s wife…”

"In addition, I would also like to express my gratitude to the regent for sending someone to Hexi for his kind words."

Heifu returns the courtesy and treats the person he respects with respect, no matter what position he reaches, he will remain as respectful as before:

"Don't worry about the unknown. No one in the world knows you. General Li did know Xijun, and Xijun did not betray the trust of him and the other soldiers. He brought back the people from the Western Expedition safely, and never offended the people along the way.

The conflict is extremely difficult."

Xi said: "General Li also knows the regent well. Before he crossed Congling, he asked me to bring you a message."

"What words?"

"General Li just wants to ask."

Xi raised his head and looked at Hei Fu:

"Heifu, do you still remember the First Emperor's ambition?"

"The ambition of the First Emperor..."

Heifu was silent for a long time and sighed: "It is clear that the seals are carved on the stones of Hengshan, Zhifu, Jieshi and Langya!"

He stood up and recited those dreams that seemed like those from a previous era.
To be continued...